HR121

WHEREAS, Article XV, Section 4 of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii recognizes both Hawaiian and English as the official languages of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education supports Hawaiian Language fluency among students in grades kindergarten through twelve in Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian language immersion schools across the State, which require teachers who are fluent in the Hawaiian language; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii's strategic plan identifies the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a "Hawaiian Place of Learning" and an indigenous serving institution; and

WHEREAS, the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language is an academic department in the Hawai`inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; and

WHEREAS, the Kawaihuelani Center enrolled over eighty undergraduate majors and graduate students during the 2024-2025 academic year, and currently teaches nearly one thousand students every semester in introductory and intermediate language courses, as well as general education foundation courses; and

WHEREAS, the Kawaihuelani and its sister center, the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, collectively enroll more than four thousand students each academic year in required general education, Hawaiian, and second language courses; and

WHEREAS, the growth of Hawaiian language fluency has led to a significant rise in Hawaiian language performances in theater and music, and scholarly publications in Hawaiian, as well as research that relies upon Hawaiian language fluency for certain fields in science, social sciences, and the humanities; and

WHEREAS, the Kawaihuelani Center and the Kamakakūokalani Center have been authorized to plan a joint Doctor of Philosophy degree program in `Ike Kūpuna (Hawaiian Knowledge), which would require graduate-level Hawaiian language fluency; and

WHEREAS, the need for Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies has led to a significant growth in permanent faculty in both programs; and

WHEREAS, the Kamakakūokalani Center has housed its faculty and programs in the Kamakakūokalani building at the far eastern end of the Manoa campus, nearly one-half mile from the Kawaihuelani Center and the offices of the Dean of the Hawai`inuiākea School, which are located on the second floor of Spalding Hall; and

WHEREAS, because Spalding Hall is shared by the Dean and staff of the Hawai`inuiākea School; the Kawaihuelani Center; and the Indo Pacific Languages and Graduate Division of the College of Arts, Languages and Letters; there is no room for expansion to accommodate both the current and the projected permanent staff and faculty of the Kawaihuelani Center; and

WHEREAS, this physical separation has not been conducive to program collaboration and curricular innovation; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that the University of Hawaii is requested to prioritize a capital improvement project to construct "Halau o Kawaihuelani", which is envisioned as an office and classroom building to accommodate the Hawai`inuiākea School's Dean and staff; the Kawaihuelani Center's faculty and staff; Hawaiian language classes; and a performing arts facility that provides a center for Hawaiian music, dance and theater; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, President of the University of Hawaii, Provost of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Dean of the Hawai`inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, Director of the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, and Director of the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	121
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII